Emerald Isle
by Amethyst Jackson
Summary: An H/H St. Patrick's Day fic featuring a leprechaun attack and a disgustingly cheesy ending.


Title: Emerald Isle

Author: Katie

Author E-mail: AmethystJackson@hotmail.com

Category: Romance/Comedy

Keywords: Harry, Hermione, Seamus, Romance, St. Patrick's Day

Spoilers: For all four books

Rating: PG-13

Summary: The gang goes to Ireland for St. Patrick's Day. In the midst of a leprechaun attack, Hermione makes a sudden realization.

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. 

Author's Note: This fanfiction was not intended to insult people of Irish lineage or leprechauns in any way. I wrote in certain stereotypes for the sake of comedy, so please do forgive me. Also, I don't know much about leprechauns, so I had to improvise a few things. Hope I didn't really mess something up.

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Emerald Isle

By Katie Adams

It all started with the announcement at breakfast that they would be sent to Ireland for St. Patrick's Day. Nobody knew why – they had hardly celebrated the day at Hogwarts before. 

They would be taken to a secluded and magical area of the country where no Muggles could find them. (According to Seamus, they had to stay in a magical area so hangover spells could be used.) The problem was the leprechauns.

Ireland is notorious for its leprechauns, and in the more magical areas the devious creatures' tendencies become more evil. Of course, they're completely crazy on St. Patrick's Day when they can feed off of the good Irish spirit.

So, the only Gryffindors that didn't seem completely terrified at going to Ireland on St. Patrick's Day were Seamus, who had lived there his entire life, and Harry, who it was simply impossible to terrify. Ron was considering asking one of his brothers to take him home until the danger passed, and Hermione had gone into over-drive, spending hours upon hours researching leprechauns and ways to repel their charms.

It was during one of these library sessions when Hermione looked up and saw Harry staring at her with a bemused expression.

"Do you really think leprechauns will attack?"

Hermione scowled. "You would do well to be a bit more cautious, what with all the times you've almost died!"

"Yes, Voldemort hasn't managed to kill me yet, even though he's in bodily form, but a group of drunken leprechauns will beat me to a pulp with their itsy bitsy bodies and the rainbows with the pots of gold at the end."

"I'm serious, Harry! These creatures have major magical powers! You never know what kind of curse they might put on you."

Harry laughed. "Well, when the time comes, you can protect me."

Hermione frowned at his back as he left the library. Why would he never take her seriously?

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They stayed at a castle called Viridis Domus, or Green Mansion. It had been built by a group of Romans that fled all the way to Ireland after the fall of the Roman Empire, so it had a Latin name. Nobody had bothered to change it.

The castle was nice and large, quite a bit like Hogwarts but much greener, hence the name. Everything from the curtains to the tapestries to the carpet was green. Then, outside in the courtyard, you were ambushed by yet more green. For the first time, Hermione truly understood the name 'Emerald Isle.' 

The castle wasn't big as Hogwarts, but, of course, there weren't endless classrooms or hidden rooms and passageways. It was pretty much housing. The Gryffindors stayed in the towers as usual, the Slytherins in the dungeons, and the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs somewhere in between. There was a Dining Hall as well, which wasn't as large as the Great Hall but still magnificent.

It was St. Patrick's Day, and the students were celebrating. Led by Seamus, the Gryffindors had flocked to a nearby pub where they were getting giddy on green butterbeer. The problem was, Irish butterbeer was quite a lot stronger than what they were used to, and those who had too much did get tipsy.

Seamus was drinking more than everyone else, following Irish tradition, and was, consequently, very drunk. Upon finishing his fifth tankard, he threw the jug behind him, and a squeaky voice shouted, "Ow!"

The tankard had hit a leprechaun. Everyone knows that it's bad business to mess with something as mischievous as a leprechaun, but when they're really really drunk and you get them really really pissed off, it's time to duck and cover.

This particular leprechaun - Danny Mulligan – was the drunkest and meanest of the clan, and now he was pissed off as well. All the Gryffindors watching in amusement, Hermione with horror, as the fairy hopped onto the bar counter in front of Seamus and started swearing violently. 

"Aye, whaddaya think yer doin', throwin' tankards at me!"

"It was a mistake, honest!" Seamus exclaimed in a slurred voice.

"Yer tankard still hit me head! You'll pay for this!"

Over in the corner, Hermione was chanting protective charms for her, Harry, and Ron. It was pointless trying to help Seamus – the leprechaun would have already put a magical bind on him. 

"I guess you were right," Harry was saying. "Leprechauns do attack."

Danny Mulligan was gathering a group of leprechauns as Hermione frantically continued her incantations. 

"'Ey, Finnegan, you scoundrel! Me mates and I 're gonna make you pay now!"

Seamus went pale, staring at the large crowd of leprechauns standing on a table nearby. 

And then, they attacked. It wasn't the battering ram of spells and curses everyone expected. No, the little men all hopped onto Seamus, clinging to his clothing, and kicked him with their pointy little shoes.

To everyone's surprise, Seamus started to laugh. Of course, this was the wrong thing to do. If you laugh at a leprechaun when they're mad, they'll pull out the big guns. Unfortunately, Seamus's laughter started a chain reaction, and before long everyone in the bar, with the exception of Harry, Hermione, and Ron, was rolling on the floor. 

That's when the leprechauns started pouring in out of nowhere. Thousands upon thousands of them appeared, all hanging in midair. The little men began throwing curses at everyone in sight, and the room became a battlefield of color.

"Quick!" Hermione cried out, "Under the tables!"

She ducked under a table with Harry, and Ron went under the table in the booth beside theirs. Hermione clung to Harry for dear life, hearing the whizzing of wandwork above them.

"What's your problem?" Harry asked, his eyes twinkling at her, so perfectly green.

"I can only do spells to protect us from one or two leprechauns, not a thousand!"

"Oh," Harry said with worry. Hermione found herself wondering how she never really noticed his eyes before, how she never saw how _beautiful_ they were. They were more like emeralds than any green she had seen during her time in Ireland.

"Can leprechauns kill anyone?" Harry asked, peering out at the chaos.

"They're certainly capable of it, but I don't think they will."

"Shouldn't we be doing something?"

"No!" Hermione cried. "No, they'll call more leprechauns if more people get involved!"

"That's not what I meant," Harry said, so softly that she could feel his breath tickling her face.

Hermione looked into his eyes, wondering what he did mean. Harry's lips turned up in a gentle smile, and he began to lean closer, tilting his head slightly to the side. Hermione closed her eyes as their lips touched, relishing the feeling of his mouth, soft and sweet.

Their kiss deepened, and Hermione let her fingers get tangled in his hair. Despite the rough appearance, it felt like silk in her hands. They became oblivious to the rest of the world as they continued to kiss, delighting in the feeling that had been shoved back for so long. She had never even thought of it before, but now she realized what she really wanted to do with Harry, how she really felt for the person that she had always considered her best friend but nothing more. 

"Cor, what are you two doing?!"

Hermione and Harry immediately backed away from each other and whipped their heads around to see Ron gawking at them. To their immense surprise, he started to laugh. "Well," he finally managed to say, "It's about time you snogged!"

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The next day Hermione found out that some men from the Ministry of Magic had come and put a stop to the leprechaun attack shortly after she and Harry dived under the table. There were no more instances of leprechaun violence for the rest of their stay at Green Mansion.

Hermione spent the rest of their time in Ireland with Harry, taking walks around the outside of the castle and marveling at the scenery. 

And while the grass was vividly green, Hermione always found the true Emerald Isle in Harry's eyes.

The End

A/N: *covers face in shame* It's cheesy, I know! I'm sorry! *runs away and hides under the bed*


End file.
